Two years ago, Boston Globe reporter Billy Baker wrote a profile about two impoverished brothers who came from a difficult home, basically raising and supporting themselves, while also succeeding academically — at the tops of their classes — at a prestigious Boston school.

The family had little to no money; their father had committed suicide, and their mother struggled — she spoke little English, had suffered "private horrors" from her husband, and said she battled mental problems. The brothers said they could barely communicate with her.

And the brothers still had to deal with the regular problems that all teenagers experience.

“I’m jealous,’’ Johnny told Baker, describing a North Face jacket that many of his schoolmates owned. “But I’m only jealous because I have to work to get the bare necessities. That’s my only option.’’

Things looked good for them, though — they were motivated and bright, and they had a mentor who worked with kids at a youth group and helped them out as much as he could.

At the crux of the story, they give a beautiful, tear-inducing speech about their journey at a $500 a plate fundraiser dinner. And the article ends.